Post-Sale Update: As noted by reader Tom down below, this Bridgestone sold for $5,650 after 31 bids on eBay.
The Bridgestone GTO 350 was the scrambler version of the absolutely incredible GTR, a bike that could leave 650 and 750cc bikes in the dust in the quarter-mile. What did Bridgestone think would be required to turn a street bike into a scrambler? The only change was the high exhaust pipes. The GTO was the much rarer variant of an already rare bike. As Motorcycle USA put it, “There are some motorcycles which, even when static, produce a tingle in any motorcyclist. The Bridgestone GTO is one of these bikes.”
It should be noted that most people associate Bridgestone with tires, and not motorcycles. But for 20 years, they made increasingly-impressive motorcycles. By the time the mid 60’s had rolled around, Bridgestone was making giant-killer bikes like the GTO 350. The only problem, some of said giants were Bridgestone’s Japanese competition, who used Bridgestone tires on their motorcycles. Rumors suggest that the other Japanese firms were threatening to use another tire supplier, and Bridgestone abruptly shut down motorcycle production. For more information, check out this writeup from Motorcycle USA about what made the GTO so memorable.
This specific Bridgestone GTO 350 is all original in excellent condition. It has just 2,500 miles, and the seller’s listing includes a walk-around video that shows the bike being kick-started and revved a little bit.
Find this Bridgestone GTO 350 for sale in Grant, Florida with bidding up to $4,00 and the reserve not yet met